When Mzikhona Mgedle rode a bike for the first time at the age of 19, he was in for a shock. Not only was the experience foreign to him, but Cape Town’s bustling roads were a far cry from the peaceful Eastern Cape village he had grown up in. “The road signs and highways made it difficult for people to cycle,” he recalls. “Not knowing where I was going, I remember riding on oncoming cars. I had some challenges where I was knocked off while riding, trying to navigate, getting robbed, getting stoned and chased.” Yet despite these difficulties, Mgedle embraced the newfound freedom and benefits that came with finally knowing how to cycle. “Seeing the city with naked eyes without a windshield, exploring different communities, navigating my own routes, taking my time to get to a place, connecting with so many people along the way, when I'm on a bike it’s like I’m in a therapy session,” he says. So when Mgedle found himself retrenched in 2020, he turned to his passion for cycling to propel himself and his community forward and founded the Langa Bicycle Hub.
Mgedle began teaching people how to cycle while also fixing bikes in the park, using the resources at his disposal to support existing cyclists and create new ones. At a time when the country was in lockdown at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the pioneering cyclist also recognised that the need for home deliveries could be an opportunity. Unemployed people would come to Mgedle for a bike which they could use to deliver medication to ill patients as well as meals from community kitchens. What was born out of a social need has now transformed into a cycling revolution in a place where transport systems are in crisis. “I don't think that we can be a country where cars are the only option for people to commute,” Mgedle says. As a result of spatial and road planning, drivers often have to travel further than necessary to move between suburbs that are essentially quite close to each other, contributing to traffic congestion and urban pollution along the way. And if there’s no straight route, a commuter who relies on public transport has to pay even more to get from A to B. “What I enjoy about riding a bike is cutting down the barriers of accessing these communities,” Mgedle says.
While Mgedle advocates for the economic, social, environmental, and health benefits of cycling, especially for people in poorer communities, he acknowledges that it comes with further considerations. “It’s so hard for people to cycle and walk. We create dodgy spaces by not thinking of where people should walk. It starts with planning, with public engagement. How can we invest in walking and cycling infrastructure?” he asks. “I’m not against cars, I’m all about shared mobility, but I think we should think outside the car when creating roads so we can have safer roads for all.” With the #Bike2Work initiative, Mgedle has created a route from Langa to various neighbourhoods around Cape Town which cyclists can join and disembark from, much as they would along a bus route. “Once you are on a bike, you get to connect with so many people,” he says. “I love the relationship when you meet a cyclist. If you see them stopping, you stop and try to help. If you see people walking, you greet them.”
Not only is Mgedle teaching people how to cycle and educating them on road safety, he’s also giving them a dedicated space to travel or carry out deliveries. Now, the goal is to continue growing the Langa Bicycle Hub and expand the cycling revolution to the rest of the city. “We should do everything we can to empower each other and connect, communicate, and commute as a collective in Cape Town,” Mgedle says.
You can contribute to Mgedle's initiative here.
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